Software isn’t open and closed case
The software world is divided between advocates of open-source and defenders of proprietary-code software. While both parties have more or less rational arguments, it would be useful to take a look into how the issue affects every computer user.
To begin with, one myth that has to be exposed is that a division exists between open-source and commercial software. This isn’t true because some open software can be sold on a commercial basis, and services connected to open software can be sold as well. In this context, “free” doesn’t necessarily mean that open software is free of charge, but rather that it supports creative freedom. So it’s much better to categorize software as open and proprietary, rather than free-of-charge and commercial. The biggest difference is in fact, that open software can be “freely” distributed and modified, while proprietary software is under strict control of its author.
But even that isn’t absolutely true. Even in the world of free software you need to proceed on the basis of a licensing agreement. And there are more than 150 types of licenses for the popular open-source operating system Linux. This means that all users don’t always have equal rights to the program.
Open-source also isn’t the same as open-standard or open-format. The interchangeability of these terms is the next myth that needs to be explored.
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